Liverpool Transfer News: Saido Berahino Fears Expressed, Reds Signings Slammed

West Bromwich Albion are clearly aware that their star striker Saido Berahino's form is turning heads across the Premier League with Liverpool reportedly interested in the young Englishman.

Berahino has bagged seven Premier League goals in nine appearances already this season, per WhoScored.com, and Rob Shepherd recently reported for the Mail Online that the Reds are lining up a January move for the 21-year-old to make up for misfiring summer signing Mario Balotelli.

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Tottenham have also supposedly targeted Berahino, per Shepherd's report, and West Brom boss Alan Irvine has raised concerns about how the pressure and the speculation may affect his young star, per Dave Armitage of the Daily Star:

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It does worry me. It's a lot to ask of a young player. The big thing for him is that he has to train the way he has been training, live life as he has been - then hopefully put in the performances he has been so far. That is difficult enough without all of the added attention he has been getting but so far he is handling it very well.

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On current form, it is unsurprising that Berahino is getting a lot of attention, and Brendan Rodgers no doubt envies Irvine and his in-form, fit striker.

Balotelli has yet to score in the league for Liverpool since his arrival from AC Milan, and Daniel Sturridge has had major injury problems early in the season.

However, if Rodgers is keen to sign Berahino in January, the Reds would reportedly have to stump up in excess of £25 million, per Jamie McLaughlin of Metro.

That would be a huge amount to pay for a player who only recently started playing regular first-team football, especially after Liverpool's prolific summer outlay, which has come under fire from former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes of The Independent:

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Balotelli has taken the spotlight off some of the other summer signings. Dejan Lovren has struggled. Lazar Markovic has not scored and he cost £20m. Alberto Moreno is quick but is yet to convince as a defender. Adam Lallana is the only one who looks like he is comfortable with the shift, and at £25m he was overpriced. I recognise Brendan Rodgers needed a bigger squad, but they should have gone for fewer players and greater quality. Balotelli cannot take the blame for all of that.

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Liverpool have certainly been struggling somewhat in the new term, not hitting anywhere near the heights they did at the back end of last season when they were just pipped to the title by Manchester City.

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However, the summer loss of Luis Suarez to Barcelona for £65 million—much of which subsidised the summer spending—was always going to be very problematic.

Scholes is certainly correct to suggest Balotelli is being unfairly treated as the Reds have problems in other areas; BBC Sport's Phil McNulty specifically highlighted the defence:

But to judge Rodgers' other signings so soon into the season seems somewhat premature. Rodgers expressed his long-term aims for Lazar Markovic in Thursday's press conference ahead of the Reds' trip to Newcastle, a sentiment that could certainly be applied to Moreno as well, per the Liverpool Echo's James Pearce:

While Liverpool have had a poor start to the season, they still sit seventh in the Premier League and are only two points off the top four.

It is premature to be judging the Reds' season just yet, and certainly Berahino's asking price is much too high for Liverpool to even consider going in for him.

The Anfield outfit have a great deal of quality in their team and simply need time to work on improvements, thus any January business should be minimal.